The Glass Menagerie Review *
American Dream Created From Fragile Glass
Williams' Glass Menagerie in Giessen Keller Theatre
“When the silent Laura stands behind her glass at the
end of a two-and-a-half-hour drama that ends with the
blowing out of her candles, we are easily able to see
the symbolic hand of Tennessee Williams.
“This was a logical point of closing for this
production of an American dream, which still moves
people after 40 years or more. In the shabby scenery,
which displays the utter hopelessness of the family,
the drama develops, which meant a trauma for the
involved ones.
“The characters include the theatrically excited
mother who lives within her lingering memories and
treats her son Tom like a child. The daughter Laura
restrained by limping, keeps herself behind her glass
menagerie. The son Tom who looks for adventure in the
cinema and finally the visitor, by whom a Deus ex-machina function is expected, visits Laura only to
disappoint her.
“Williams divides his style
with a cinematic technique whereby the son Tom plays
the narrator by stepping out of the scenes on a
regular basis. The light direction was not very strong
and did not succeed in displaying the grim view of the
family. The overall direction by Lahaie did convey the
tensions in the family well.
“Also resembling the actors' performances is this
touching interpretation. The eccentric and
unpredictable mother is not only living desperately in
the past, but quite practically thinking rationally
only if it concerns her daughter's happiness. Denise
Moyle plays the "speech-blessed" woman of the American
South with a comic and tragic style. Fragile like the
figures of her fantasy world, Laura, played by Vicki
Smith, limps frequently with jerky Hands. The unsteady
view adds up to an intensive representation. This
Intensity and fragility communicate themselves to the
public particularly strongly, especially when the
gentleman caller throws a light into the dim
situation. Tracy Jacobsen plays the part of the
successful and smart American boy with completeness.
Vincent Bagnall, as the son Tom and narrator, has the
most impressionable scenes in the family. This is a
highly impressive production with strong character work.”
--Ute S. Lahaie, Giessener Anzeiger
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